Basket weave knot

A diagram of a basket weave knot on a 3x5 rectangular grid

The basket weave knots are a family of bend and lanyard knots with a regular pattern of over–one, under–one. All of these knots are rectangular and lie in a plane.^[1] They are named after plait-woven baskets, which have a similar appearance.

Construction

A diagram of a long basket weave knot on a 2x5 grid

A basket weave knot is made up of two sets of parallel lines drawn inside a rectangle such that the lines meet at the edges of the rectangle. For a true basket weave knot that can be tied with two strands, the number of intersections in each direction cannot have a common divisor. Within this constraint, there is no theoretical upper limit to the size of a basket weave knot.^[1] Thus, a knot that has two intersections in one direction can be lengthened with any odd number in the perpendicular direction. If the dimension n in the smaller direction is odd, it is always possible to construct a knot with n + 2 intersections in the other dimension. However, large basket weave knots have a tendency to twist and curl because they are completely flat.^[1]

A basket weave knot can be tied from a single strand by first forming a bight in the middle of the line. The ends near the bight become the standing ends. This method will keep the knot in one plane only for knots in which the standing ends enter the same side; these knots are called bosun's knots because they can be tied in a lanyard.^[1] For knots in which the standing ends enter from different sides of the rectangle, the bight will wrap across one side of the knot after it is set.

Any basket weave knot that can be tied from two strands can be drawn as an endless knot by connecting the standing ends together and the working ends together. An example of this can be seen in the carrick mat.

A decorative use on the Gosforth Cross, from the 10th century AD

If a basket weave knot is tied with a flat line such as ribbon instead of a round line such as rope or cord, the method of turning the line at the edges affects the final appearance. Deflecting the line will form a series of bights or scallops along the edge, while folding it over will leave the edge flat.^[2]

Examples

A carrick bend knot with a 2x3 rectangular grid superimposed upon it

The simplest basket weave knots consist of a two–by–three rectangle of intersections and include the following:

In the reef knot and granny knot, the standing ends enter the short side, while in the double coin knot and the sheet bend, the standing ends enter the long side. Therefore, any of these knots could be used for a lanyard. In the carrick bend, which is otherwise similar to the double coin knot, the standing ends enter opposite long sides.

The next smallest possible basket weave knot is made up of a three–by–four rectangle, and may be called a boatswain's lanyard, whistle lanyard, Napoleon knot, or Chinese knot,^[2] although the art of Chinese knotting includes many more knots besides this one.

References

1 2 3 4 Ashley, Charles. The Ashley Book of Knots. pp. 139–140.
1 2 Ashley, pp. 148-149

Knots

By type

Bends	Adjustable Albright special Ashley's Alpine butterfly Basket weave Beer Blood Carrick Double fisherman's Fisherman's Flemish Grief Halyard Harness Heaving line Hunter's Nail One-sided overhand Racking Sheet Shoelace Shroud Simple Simon under Single carrick Surgeon's Surgeon's loop Triple fisherman's True lover's Water Zeppelin

Binding	Boa Bottle sling Constrictor Corned beef Granny Ground-line hitch Jamming Miller's Packer's Reef Strangle Thief Transom

Climbing	Autoblock Bachmann Beer Bowline on a bight Alpine butterfly Directional figure eight Double bowline Farmer's loop Figure-eight Figure-eight loop Figure-of-nine loop Friction hitch Klemheist Munter hitch Overhand loop Prusik Trident loop Yosemite bowline

Coils & Shanks	Alpine coil Butterfly coil Over/under cable coiling Chain sinnet Sheepshank

Decorative	Carrick mat Chinese button Celtic button Diamond Fiador Friendship Ghiordes Matthew Walker Turk's head Wall and crown

Fishing (angling)	Angler's loop Arbor Bimini twist Blood Fisherman's Half blood Improved clinch Knotless Nail Palomar Snell Trilene Triple fisherman's Turle Uni

Hitches	Adjustable grip Anchor bend Axle Bachmann Bale sling Barrel Becket Blackwall Blake's Boom Buntline Cat's paw Clove Cow Distel Double overhand noose Falconer's Farrimond friction Friction hitch Garda Ground-line Half Halter Highpoint Highwayman's Hitching tie Icicle Improved clinch knot Killick Knute Lobster buoy Marlinespike Munter Ossel Pile Pipe Sailor's Snuggle Swing Taut-line Timber

Loop	Angler's Artillery loop Bale sling hitch Bowline Bumper Carrick bend loop Cossack Cowboy bowline Diamond Double bowline Dropper loop Eskimo bowline Fiador Fireman's chair Friendship knot Halter hitch Handcuff Honda Jury mast Overhand Portuguese bowline Rigid double splayed loop in the bight Slippery eight Span Spanish bowline Tom fool's Trident Triple bowline Triple crown Water bowline Yosemite bowline Zeppelin

Running (slip)	Hangman's Running bowline Running highwayman's hitch Tarbuck

Splices & splicing	Eye Fid Marlinspike Rat-tail T Western Union

Stopper	Ashley's stopper Button Double overhand Monkey's fist Overhand Stevedore

Whipping	Common Overhand knot with draw-loop Portuguese Sailmaker's West Country

Lists of knots
Related topics

Lists of knots	Bends Bindings Decorative knots Hitches (friction) Mathematical

Related topics	Chinese knotting Density History International Guild of Knot Tyers Macramé Mizuhiki Norigae Ropework Lashing Splicing Seizing Sennit

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WikiProject
Commons

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